Deregistering a car: disposal declaration, third country and the 7-year period (§ 17 FZV)

What must be declared at deregistration if a vehicle is scrapped later? This page summarises § 17 paragraphs 4 to 6 of the German Vehicle Registration Ordinance.

Zevra is the B2B platform for digital vehicle registration for car dealers, registration services and fleets: cases are entered in the dealer portal and filed nationwide by power of attorney with qualified electronic signature – from €10 per registration, no base fee, no minimum volume.

Last updated: 2026-10-12 · Zevra editorial team · Reviewed by M. Gabal, owner

What must be declared at deregistration?

When applying for deregistration, the keeper or owner declares to the registration authority whether the vehicle is to be disposed of as waste.

The declaration is part of every application for deregistration.

What applies if the vehicle is recovered later?

If the vehicle is sent for recovery within 7 years after deregistration without having been registered again abroad beforehand, the certificate of destruction must be handed over.

The previous keeper and the owner also hand over the registration certificate Part I and Part II without delay after recovery.

Which proof applies depending on where the vehicle ends up?

In all cases the registration authority withdraws the registration certificate Part I and Part II and destroys them.

When does the authority refuse a new registration?

• The vehicle was handed over for recovery to an approved facility under the End-of-Life Vehicle Ordinance.
• The vehicle was treated as an end-of-life vehicle in another member state or contracting state.

Registration, re-registration and the allocation of a plate are then refused as soon as the authority knows about it.

What happens if the documents are not handed in?

If the previous keeper does not meet his duties at recovery, the registration authority publicly calls for the registration certificate in the Verkehrsblatt with a period of 4 weeks.

When that period expires without result, the registration of the vehicle ends.

What does this mean for dealers?

For dismantlers and dealers this means: for an end-of-life vehicle the disposal declaration belongs in the application; the certificate of destruction follows after recovery.

With Zevra the dealer files registration and deregistration in the dealer portal. Registration costs from 10 € per case, deregistration 2 € net, plus official fees.

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Sources: Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung (FZV) § 17 – Verwertungsnachweis · Altfahrzeug-Verordnung (AltfahrzeugV) § 4 – Überlassungspflichten · Sources · FZV sections § 17 · Vehicle figures: tax, insurance, fines